The local wage survey committee, prior to each full-scale survey:

Shall hold a public hearing to receive recommendations from interested parties concerning the area, industries, establishments and jobs to be covered in the wage survey.

Shall prepare a summary of the hearings and submit it to the lead agency together with the committees' recommendations concerning the survey specifications prescribed in paragraph (c) of this section.

May make any other recommendations concerning the local wage survey which it considers appropriate.

The lead agency shall consider the local wage survey committee's report if:

The lead agency proposes not to accept the recommendations of the local wage survey committee concerning the specifications of the local wage survey; or

The local wage survey committee's report is accompanied by a minority report.

The lead agency shall develop survey specifications after taking into consideration the reports and recommendations received from the local wage survey committee and, if applicable, the agency wage committee. The survey specifications shall include:

The counties to be surveyed;

The industries to be surveyed;

The standard minimum size of establishments to be surveyed;

Establishments to be surveyed with certainty; and

The survey jobs.

A list of establishments to be surveyed shall be prepared through use of statistical sampling techniques in accordance with the specifications developed by the lead agency. A copy of this list shall be forwarded to the local wage survey committee.

Selection and appointment of data collectors. (1) The local wage survey committee, after consultation with the lead agency, shall determine the number of regular and alternate data collectors needed for the survey based upon the estimated number and location of establishments to be surveyed.

Wage data for appropriated fund surveys shall be collected by teams consisting of one local Federal Wage System employee recommended by the committee member representing the qualifying labor organization and one Federal employee recommended by Federal agencies. The data collectors shall be selected and appointed by their employing agency.

Wage data for nonappropriated fund surveys shall be collected by teams, each consisting of one local nonappropriated fund employee recommended by the committee member representing the qualifying labor organization and one nonappropriated fund employee recommended by nonappropriated fund activities. The data collectors shall be selected and appointed by their employing agency.

The local wage survey committee shall provide employers with the names of employees recommended by labor organizations and by Federal agencies to serve as data collectors and shall indicate the number of regular and alternate data collectors to be selected and appointed by the employers.

In selecting and appointing employees recommended by labor organizations and by Federal agencies to serve as data collectors, consideration shall be given to the requirement in the prevailing rate law for labor and agency representatives to participate in the wage survey process, the qualifications of the recommended employees, the need of the employees' work units for their presence on the job, and the prudent management of available financial and human resources. Employing agencies and activities shall cooperate and appoint the recommended employees unless exceptional circumstances prohibit their consideration. When the required number of employees cannot be appointed to serve as data collectors from among those recommended, the local wage survey committee shall obtain additional recommendations expeditiously to avoid any delay in the survey process.

Employers shall cooperate and release appointed employees to serve as data collectors throughout the duration of the data collection period unless the employers can demonstrate that exceptional circumstances directly related to the accomplishment of the work units' missions require their presence on their regular jobs. Employees serving as data collectors are considered to be on official assignment to an interagency function, rather than on leave.

Each member of a local wage survey committee, each data collector, and any other person having access to data collected must retain this information in confidence, and is subject to disciplinary action by the employing agency or activity if the employee violates the confidence of data secured from private employers.

Any violation of the above provision by a Federal employee must be reported to the employing agency and, in the case of a participant designated by a labor organization, to the recognized labor organization and its headquarters, and shall be cause for the lead agency immediately to remove the offending person from participation in the wage survey function.